His dad was using his own brainpower to try to better himself. That's the opposite of Edwards's empty promises to use government largesse to improve the lot of the masses.
I thought the same thing. On the one hand, here is John Edwards, son of a man who didn't go to college, who made it far enough along in life to be the Democrat nominee for the Vice Presidency. That alone speaks volumes about the great opportunities here in America. And yet, Edwards warns us that "the bright light of America is flickering" or some nonsense to that effect. I think it was Brit Hume who once characterized Edwards as "a sunny guy with a gloomy message." It's bizarre, how Edwards smiles and uses such cheerful body language, while warning us that the sky is falling.